D-line assessment

Mike Nolan called them “mudders” and “grunts.” They are the three down linemen who made up the basis of the 3-4 defense. Basically in such system they are the unseen and unacknowledged, unless one happens to be named Justin Smith. The 49ers right defensive end not only finished tied on the team in sacks, he was a stop sign for runs aimed at left tackle. According to statistics compiled by the footballoutsiders.com web site, opponents averaged 3.08 in adjusted line yards when they tried to run at left tackle – the lowest average in the league.

Adjusted line yards are calculated through an regression analysis and assign 120% for no yards or negative yards on a run play, 100% on a run 0-4 yards, 50% on runs 5-10 yards and 0% on runs 11 yards or more.

Overall, the 49ers ranked third defensively in the outsiders’s comprehensive DVOA ranking. What’s also interesting is that the defense was third in adjusted sack rate, which divides the number of sacks by the number of defensive snaps. Of course, we know that the 49ers got a bundle of sacks against weak opponents in sometimes meaningless games, including eight in the season finale against the Rams.

My sense is the 49ers needed to pick up the pressure when they get to their nickel and dime defenses. Those packages include four-man fronts, and those players need to beat the 0-line more often for pressure. Smith brought pressure with remarkable consistency, but others, specifically the emerging Ahmad Brooks, need to take that next step.

Brooks broke into the rushing rotation in October last year. Armed with a new contract, and the prospect of more playing time, he might go from six sacks to possibly 10. Take the 5 to 7 sacks Smith Parys Haralson and Manny Lawson get each, and the 49ers are a sack threat. But now, like some many aspects of this team, the 49ers have to bring their pressure against the league’s better offenses.

NOTES: The 49ers released Jared Perry, possibly to make room for signing more draft picks. With training camp less than a week away, the dam should break soon league-wide on signing high-round picks.